Amusement apparatus.



M. J. DURAN.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1910.

979,385. Patented Dec.20,1910.

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M. J. DURAN.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1910.

Patented Dec.20, 1910.

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M. J. DORAN.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1910.

979,385. Patelited Dec. 20, 1910;

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MICHAEL J. DORAN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL J. DORAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in amusement apparatus such as are installed at pleasure resorts.

The invention comprises an upright tower or derrick mounted upon a rotating horizontal base and having journaled at its top one or more trussed beams or levers carrying at their opposite ends dependent cars or baskets to receive passengers. Suitable operating means are provided for rotating the base carrying the tower and for rocking said beams or levers to give them a see-saw motion. Surrounding the base of the machine is a circular tank or moat partly filled with water, into which the cars upon the see-saw beams or levers are alternately dipped. I provide a suitable motor geared to the base of the tower for rotating it continuously in one direction and for imparting the see-saw rocking motion to the carcarrying beams or levers, I journal transversely of the rotating base of the tower a shaft carrying gear wheels at its opposite ends which are designed to intermittently engage a semi-circular rack arranged in horizontal position at one side of the base of the apparatus so as to cause said shaft to rotate first in one direction and then in the opposite direction. This horizontal shaft carries between its ends two pulleys or drums around which pass ropes or cables having their opposite ends secured to brackets upon the see-saw beams or levers at equal distances from their journals. Each seesaw beam or lever is controlled by one of the ropes or cables and operating drum and these connections are so arranged that the beams or levers will operate in opposite directions or at alternate times.

In order that my invention may be fully understood I will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my improvet amusement apparatus. Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same. Figs. 3, I and 5 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 4, 1910.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

Serial No. 553,297.

are enlarged detail sectional views of parts of the same.

In constructing my improved amusement apparatus I build a circular tank or moat 1 upon a suitable base 2 and arrange centrally within said circular tank a cylindrical wall 5. This central cylindrical wall 5 together with the circular walls and bottom of the tank 1 may be constructed of metal or of cement. I prefer to employ cement.

Arranged within the central cylindrical wall 5 may be an electric motor or other power mechanism for driving the apparatus. I have not thought it necessary to show the motor but have represented. a horizontal power driven shaft 10 journaled in a suitable bearing such as 11 extending through the cylindrical wall 5 and carrying upon its outer end a large miter gear v12 which meshes with and drives a similar miter gear 13 keyed upon a vertical shaft 1 1 journaled in the bracket bearings 15 suitably secured to the outer face of the wall 5. This vertical shaft 14 carries at its upper end a horizontal gear wheel 16 which meshes with a larger horizontal gear 20 secured to the periphery of a circular rotating table or platform 21. This table or platform 21 is supported adjacent to its periphery upon ball bearings 22 which run in the ball race 23 formed in the upper surface of the circular top plate 17 mounted upon cylindrical wall 5. This top plate 17 is secured to the wall 5 by brackets 18.

The rotating table or platform 21 has a central journal shaft 25 projecting downwardly from it through a central opening 26 in top plate 17 into a thrust bearing 27 supported centrally within the cylindrical wall'5 by the arms or braces 28. The short shaft 25 and ball bearings 22 afford ample support for the rotating table or platform 21 with the minimum friction.

Extending up from the rotating table or platform 21 is a derrick or tower-like structure of considerable height. This structure is indicated at 30. To insure stability and strength, I prefer to make the tower 30 of angle or channel iron and intersecting bridge braces from the base to the top and to spread out the main frames at the base as far as the diameter of the rotating table or platform will permit. This tower 30 is provided at its top with a head 31 carrying outwardly presented trunnion bearings 32 upon which are journaled the two see-saw beams i: are,

or levers Each of these beams or levers l 35 is formed with a central journal head 36 mounted upon one of the trminions 32 and the oppositely extending long arms, which are inclined laterally for a short distance as indicated at e and then extended in planes at right angles to the axis of trunnions 32 as indicated at 35. These lateral inclinations of the opgosite arms of the beams or levers are for the purpose of affording proper distance between the adjacent ends of the levers as to prevent interference between the suspended passenger cars or baskets. It will of course be understood by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings that I propose to make the rocking beams or levers 35 of truss formation, with the separated main frame parts of angle or channel iron braced by the usual zig-zag bridge braces.

At each end of each of the rocking beams or levers l mount an eye bolt 37 upon which is suspended the pas nger carrying basket 38 which may be of any suitable construction, such as shown, in which it consists of a circular basket hung by double bails 39 and provided with a circular seat 38.

do is a horizontal shaft extending diametrically across the rotary table or platform 91 and freely journaled in the bracket bearings d6 secured to the face of said table. This shaft to has keyed to its opposite ends the gear wheels etT. Mounted upon the shaft adjacent to its ends are the friction pulleys or drums 50 around each one of which passes a rope or cable 51 connected at its ends with the bracketloops 52 secured to the under face of one of the rocking levers at equal distances from the journal The points of connection between the rope or cable 51 and the arms of rocking lever 35 mustbe equal distanccs from the journal and in an arc struck from the shaft 4L5 as the center, in order that the mechanism will operate properly.

60 is the semi-circular rack mounted in horizontal position at one side of the cylindrical wall 5 upon the angular brackets 61 secured to the wall This semi-circular rack bar 60 is supported at the same distance from the central journal shaft 25 of platform 21 as the gear wheels 47 upon hori zontal shaft d5, so that during the rotation of the table 21, first the gear d7 at one end of shaft 45 will be in mesh with rack (30, and then the gear at the opposite end of shaft 45 will be in mesh with said rack.

The operation of the apparatus will be clear from the following explanation. I propose to have the circular tank or moat 1 only partly filled with water. The four dependent cars 38 can be filled with passengers singly while the cars are near the base of the machine or any suitable well known means may be employed to facilitate the loading and unloading of the cars. When the motor is started, the platform 21 carrying tower 30 and rocking beams or levers 35 is rotated with the result, that by the engagement of gear t? in rack (30, shaft 4:5 will also be rotated to cause the see-saw levers to rock in opposite directions, the ropes or cables 51 being reversed upon the drums or pulleys near the opposite ends of shaft 45. Art the completion of the movement of the levers35 in one direction, the gear 47 at one end of shaft moves out of engagement with rack 60, and the gear at the opposite end moves into engagement with said rack to cause the shaft do to immediately rotate in the reverse direction. This constant change of direction of the shaft 455 keeps the basket-carrying levers working up and down like see-saws, causing the baskets or cars to be first dipped slightly into the water of the tank or moat l, and then raised to the highest point above. With this apparatus, I produce in effect a double seesaw upon a rotating tower, with the added thrill of dipping the baskets into the water.

In practice I propose to make the rotating tower of great height and the see-1w beams or levers of great length to give a wide sweep to the passenger-carrying baskets. As an example of the dimensions of these parts I propose to make the tower approximately twenty-eight feet from the rotating table or platform to its top, and the see-saw beams or levers approximately sixty feet from end to end.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotatable upright tower with two see-saw beams or levers horizontally pivoted upon the top of said tower, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beams or levers, and means for simultaneously rotating said tower and rock ing said beams or levers in opposite directions.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotary upright tower, a seesaw beam or lever pivoted at the top of said tower, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beam or lever, a circular water tank or moat surrounding the base of said tower, and means for rotating said tower and rocking said beam or lever to alternately raise said cars and dip them into the water of said tank or moat.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a suitable base, a platform rotatably mounted upon said base, means for rotating said platform, a tower-like structure mounted upon said platform, a see-saw beam or lever pivotedv at the top of said tower-like structure, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beam or lever, and means for rocking said beam or lever as the platform rotates.

4C. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of an upright rotatable tower, a pair of see-saw beams or levers centrally pivoted upon the top of said tower, the adjacent arms of said beams or levers being spread apart at their ends, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beams or levers, and means for rotating said tower and rocking said beams or levers.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotatable platform, a tower mounted upon said platform, a seesaw beam or lever pivoted at the top of said tower, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beam or lever, a horizontal shaft journaled upon said platform, a pulley or drum carried by said shaft, a rope or cable wound upon said pulley or drum and having its ends attached to opposite arms of said beam or lever, means for rotating said platform, and means for rotating said horizontal shaft first in one direction and then in the opposite direction for imparting a rocking motion to said beam or lever.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotary platform, an upright tower mounted upon said platform, a see-saw beam or lever pivoted at the top of said tower, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beam or lever, a horizontal shaft ournaled upon said platform, a pulley or drum mounted upon said shaft, a rope or cable wound upon said pulley or drum and having its ends attached to said beam or lever upon opposite sides of its pivot, gear wheels upon the opposite ends of said shaft, and a stationary curved rack concentric with said platform and adapted to alternately engage the gear wheels upon the opposite ends of said horizontal shaft to effect the rocking of said beam or lever.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotary platform, an upright tower mounted upon said platform, two see-saw beams or levers pivoted at the top of said tower, passenger carrying cars upon the ends of said beams or levers, a horizontal shaft journaled upon said platform, two pulleys or drums mounted upon said shaft, ropes or cables wound oppositely upon said pulleys or drums and having their ends attached to said beams or levers upon opposite sides of their pivot, gear wheels upon the opposite ends of said shaft, and a stationary curved rack concentric with said platform and adapted to alternately engage the gear wheels upon the opposite ends of said horizontal shaft to effect the rocking of said beams or levers.

MICHAEL J DORAN. .Vitnesses:

WM. E. KNIGHT, M. G. CRAWFORD. 

